Sunday

Charlie woke in his own bed the next morning, regretting the lack of warmth next to him. He and Amita had shared a quiet dinner before she headed home to try to repair the damage caused by her very traditional parents finding them in her apartment together.

It was amazing how fast things could change. Two weeks ago, he couldn't have imagined how life could be so great. Then that earthquake last weekend threw him and Amita together. Even his sore knee was healing. Life was definitely interesting.

Taking the opportunity to lay in bed and just relax on this lazy Sunday morning, he tucked his hands behind his head and just considered recent events. It was weird to be this happy.

Since her parents knew of their relationship, there really was no reason not to tell Larry. He grinned. He had to admit, though, it really was rather fun to keep the physicist in the dark. Larry had the annoying habit of being right, especially when it came to subjects that he had no reason to be right in, and having such a juicy secret was satisfying in a petty way that Charlie couldn't fathom.

He heard steps pass by his room, and heard his father go downstairs. Listening intently, he heard the pots begin clanging as Alan began breakfast. Deciding that he'd lain in his bed long enough, he got up and pulled on clean clothes. He made his way downstairs.

"So, you made it home last night," Alan said slowly.

"You know darn well that I was home all night," Charlie teased. "And besides, who was it that was pushing me to make a move on her?"

"Make a move, not spend the night. There's a difference."

"Come on, Dad. We haven't done anything like that yet." A slight blush crossed his features as he recalled how close they came.

"Yeah, but you spend too many more nights at her place and, well." He looked at his younger son with apprehension and affection.

"Fine. She can stay over here from now on."

Charlie ignored the pointed stare emanating from his father and limped over to set the table.

"Charlie, where are your crutches?"

"Upstairs."

Alan sighed. "And why aren't you using them?"

"Because my knee feels better. Besides, I'll probably be rid of them tomorrow anyway."

"Fine. You fall in the middle of the street and I'm not doing a thing for you this time," his father grouched.

"I didn't say I would go out without them. I'm not stupid. I'm just trying to wean myself off them so I'll be ready to go back to work next week. Trying to get around on campus with those things is insane." Charlie filled his plate and limped back over to the table.

After breakfast, Charlie swept through the living room, gathering his belongings that had been stacked while his father had restricted him to the downstairs while he was recuperating. He paused by the window, taking in the beautiful spring weather. It was really a gorgeous day. Grinning, he wondered if Amita would be interested in a picnic lunch.

His smile faded as he noticed the dark car down the street. There was an unmoving dark figure inside, and Charlie tried to figure out what he was doing there.

"Hey, Dad. Did the Rosettis get a new car?" he called back through the house.

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"There's a strange car sitting down the street, and I was just wondering why it was there."

Alan walked in to stare at the vehicle. As he peered over Charlie's shoulder, the car started and took off. "Huh. Maybe he was waiting for someone and got tired."

"Yeah, maybe," Charlie said distractedly.

"If you want, I can call Rob and see if they know who that was," Alan offered.

"No. Forget it." He looked at his father. "I'm going to call Amita and see if she wants to go out this afternoon."

"It's a great day. I'm going to go over and make sure that your Aunt Irene's yard work is taken care of."

"I thought she hated you," grinned the younger man.

"Well, she still thinks that your mother married beneath her, but since no one else on that side of the family will make the effort, she tolerates me." Alan laughed softly. "Besides, your mother would haunt me if I didn't at least make the effort."

"I think you're right."

The quad across from the science was extremely quiet, given it was the first Sunday of spring break. Occasionally a face would appear at one of the dorm windows, showing that not everyone had the option of going home for the vacation. Once in a great while someone would wander across the grass, but no one bothered the picnickers tucked away behind a large tree.

Charlie and Amita enjoyed their time in the shade. The sandwiches and salad that he had picked up from the deli were gone, leaving the two of them to sprawl on the blanket. The sun dappled down through the leaves, warming them without overheating them. Lying on their backs, hands entwined, they relaxed, saying nothing. No words were needed.

"Charles! This is where you've gotten to," a voice called from across the quad.

Both of them sat bolt upright as Larry walked toward them. Amita cast a quick look at Charlie, who shrugged. She mouthed the word Now? to him and he sighed and nodded.

"Oh, Amita. I didn't see you there behind Charles. Now what are the two of you doing out here?"

"Having a picnic, Larry," Charlie said in the most rational voice he could muster. "Would you like to join us?"

Larry sank down cross-legged and regarded them curiously. "I called your house looking for you and your father said you were here. I checked your office first, but it was all locked up."

The couple tried to contain their amusement. The physicist was bursting to come out and ask why they were there together and was failing to conceal his interest. Charlie seriously considered dragging the situation out more, but took pity on his mentor.

"Listen, Larry, there's something we need to tell you." Charlie reached over and grabbed Amita's hand, squeezing it and hoping that she would play along with him. "Now that Amita's parents know, we can tell the world now."

"You've finally gotten together! I knew it!" Larry exclaimed. "Oh, I knew that something had happened while you guys were out there."

"No, no, Larry. You don't understand. We're not dating." He nervously squeezed her hand again as he heard her inhale to speak. "You see, we're going to have a baby. That's why we eloped this past week."

Amita choked quietly beside him, nearly making him lose his composure. Larry, on the other hand, had turned an odd shade of pink. His jaw hung slack as he tried to put together a coherent sentence.

"You … What?" Larry squeaked out. "How did…when did this…what?"

Amita stamped down her own amusement to add fuel to the fire. "We wanted to tell you, but we were so worried about my parents. You see, Dad actually arranged a husband for me. They're so conventional, and, well, Charlie isn't exactly a traditional Hindu."

Larry's coloring had not improved during her little speech. He finally stammered out, "Charles? How - how could you? Don't you know better?"

The question broke the couple's control. Both Charlie and Amita burst out laughing, much to Larry's confusion and consternation.

"I fail to see where this is a laughing matter," he chided.

"We made it up," Amita gasped. "I'm not pregnant."

"And we didn't elope," Charlie added. "You've been hounding us all week, so I'm sorry, but I got a little revenge." He patted Larry on the arm. "Come on. We weren't ready for the world to know that we've finally gotten together. Now that her parents know that, yes, we're dating, we can let more people know."

"Does your father know?"

"Yeah. He was the first to know, although we didn't exactly tell him. And Don knows, too. He figured it out on his own, though. We were planning to tell you; we just didn't know when."

"So when you kept telling me that nothing happened last weekend, you were, in effect, lying to me?" Larry asked petulantly.

"We never lied," Amita said. "We may have avoided the entire truth, but we didn't lie." She frowned suddenly at Charlie. "At least, I didn't."

"I was careful to phrase things delicately so as not to lie to you," Charlie assured him.

"Yes, but in doing so, you perpetrated a misconception, which is just as damaging as the lie itself," Larry lectured. "And as to why you felt you had to hide the information from me when you know that I'm nothing but supportive…"

"Exhibits A, B, and C," Charlie began. "Remember when you found out that Dr. Phelps in biology began dating the dean of admissions? You spread that tidbit around nearly at the speed of light."

"Now, Charles, that's hardly appropriate…"

"Fine. Exaggeration withdrawn. However, Exhibit B. Remember the couple that got caught inflagrante delecto in the chemistry lab? You had that story spread across campus within a few hours. And that's not an exaggeration.

"Any other examples of my indiscretion?" Larry sniped sarcastically.

"What about the department chair getting a little drunk at last year's Christmas party and getting locked in the broom closet with that grad student? You took great joy in telling as many people as possible."

Amita nodded knowingly. "Even I heard it from two different sources that claimed to come right from you, and given that it was Dr. Rabin and Mrs. Fanning who I heard it from, I tend to believe them." She took in Larry's crestfallen face and tried to repair the damage. "Listen, Larry, you know we love you, but there are some things that we need to keep from spreading to every single person on campus."

"I still can't see why you feel the need to hide this relationship. You're two well-matched, consenting adults."

"Well, to start with, Amita is not far removed from being my student, which is still probably enough to raise eyebrows in the administration. I still consult about some of her projects, so technically, we fall in the gray area. So until she graduates, and therefore is not a student anymore, it would probably be best for everyone involved to simply keep it all low key."

Comprehension finally dawned on Larry's face. "I think I understand," he said slowly.

"Thanks," Amita said softly. "And besides, Charlie and I would like to try this without having the world watch us."

"Well, then I guess I should apologize to the both of you," Larry began. "In pushing to two of you together I didn't take into account your situations. I do ask for forgiveness for my insensitivity."

"Larry, we weren't trying to hurt your feelings, but in this case, this is our life and our business." Charlie grinned as he continued, "And besides, with us dating, the math department is no longer the least libidinous place on campus."

Larry broke out in genuine laughter, letting Charlie and Amita know that the situation had been settled. "I can't believe that you still remember that particular incident."

"How could I forget? You were deliberately taunting us!" The couple joined in with his laughter, at least until Charlie's cell phone rang. Automatically, he checked the incoming number before he answered. "Hey, Don. What's up?"

"Listen, have you seen Dad this afternoon?"

"Yeah. Well, I saw him before I left. He said he was going over to Aunt Irene's to do some yard work or something. Why?"

Don sighed. "Probably no reason."

"Do you want me to try to call him there?" Charlie asked.

"No. I'll just wait." He paused briefly. "You didn't happen to notice anything weird at the house this morning?"

"There was a strange car down the street this morning, but I haven't seen it since."

"A strange car? Did you see the plate?"

"No. It was too far away. Whoever it was parked all the way down by the Rosettis house."

"Really? I'll check it out. Talk to you later."

Catching Amita's eye, Charlie spoke up. "Listen, Don, can you do me a favor?"

"What? Make it quick, if you can."

"When you get a break right after this, I need to talk to you. But not now."

"All right. Fine. Bye."

He looked at Amita. "I'll tell him, I promise."

Larry looked curious. "What was that?"

"Charlie noticed some discrepancies when he was helping Don yesterday, so he's going to bring these to Don's attention."

"Oh."

Hours later, an exhausted team slumped in their respective chairs. David sat with his arm in a sling, the result of a grazing shot gotten in the earlier shoot out. Colby had several stitches on his hands from the knife that the suspect he'd been chasing had pulled. Don was nursing the colorful beginnings of a magnificent shiner. Megan bore no visible bruises, but she had the soberest expression. She'd been hit in the vest by a shot, and the close calls they'd all had was depressing the lot of them.

"I swear, it was like they knew we were coming."

"Don, if your gut hadn't been working overtime, we'd be toast," Colby added gratefully.

"Is there any way we missed something?" Don asked. "I mean, could there have been someone else? Someone else who could've been calling the shots?"

"The cell we nabbed fit the profile. We had the leader, Rogers the ex-military demolitions, we had the hacker, Boronie, we had the intelligence pair, Flanders and Wilson, and the financier, Serzi. We got the whole group." Megan looked like she was ready to pull her gun and shoot someone. "All aspects of the crimes are covered. All the ends are tied."

The group sat a little longer, trying to figure out what went wrong. Finally Don got up slowly to get another cup of coffee. Remembering his promise to his brother, he stood by the coffee machine and dialed his cell phone.

"Hello."

"Hey, Charlie, it's me. Listen, what did you want to tell me about earlier?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. "Can I talk to you, alone?"

"Sure, buddy. Why?"

"Trust me."

After the nearly disastrous bust, the agent felt a flash of frustration shoot through him. "Listen, Charlie, if you're wanting to talk about your love life, I think there are better times than…"

"No, no. It's about your case."

Suddenly Don was all ears. "What about it?"

"Just trust me. Please."

"All right. Where do you want to meet?"

"How about we meet in the park down the street? I can get there without much trouble."

"I've got a better idea. How about we meet in the garage? That way I can get in and out without Dad seeing."

There was an uncertain pause before Charlie agreed. Their plans finalized, they hung up and Don walked back over to his desk.

"All right, people. We're not going to get anything more accomplished tonight. Go home and get some sleep. We'll take a fresh look at this tomorrow, all right?"

Don took in the subtly relieved faces of his crew. None of them put up any real fight as they rose and gathered their things. He gave them all a pat on the shoulder as they made their way out of the office. Pulling Megan aside for a second, he asked, "Are you all right?"

"Fine," she said.

"You sure? I've been hit in the vest, so don't bullshit me, okay?" Don's concern was evident through the use of profanity. "You're going to be sore in the morning."

"I know," she said sharply.

"This is your first hit, right?"

"I've been hit before," Megan protested. "In training."

"It's different when it's a real bullet," Don said. "It's more than just a physical bruise."

"I'll be fine. Trust me."

Don nodded and watched her go. He hoped that Charlie's information could help make this bust feel better.

Charlie stood with one crutch tucked under his arm as he balanced before his chalkboard. His hand scratched symbols across the surface as he tried to get his rushing thoughts consolidated before they disappeared.

He was lost to the world when Don finally knocked at the door. Charlie limped over to open it and let his brother in.

"What happened to you?" Charlie asked, staring at the swollen eye. "Is that why you want to avoid Dad?"

"Yeah. The suspects didn't exactly go down without a fight."

"Is everyone else all right?"

"Little banged up, but no one's hurt bad." Don walked over and pulled up a straight backed chair and sat on it backwards. "So what is so important? What do you have to tell?"

Charlie sat in his desk chair and pulled a folder across the desk. "I didn't have access to the rest of the information that you had me and Amita working on last night, so I recreated as much of it as I could. These, in particular, are the questionable account numbers." He looked at Don expectantly, who stared blankly back.

"What am I supposed to see here, Charlie? I mean, no offense, but I've had a really bad day."

"These," and he pointed to the top three numbers, "Are not connected to the companies indicated. Those companies are most probably dummy corporations, based on the routing numbers. But what got me is that I've seen these numbers before."

"You have? Where?"

"They are accounts within the FBI. Specifically, the L.A. branch office."

"What!" Don shouted, then clamped his mouth closed. "Why didn't you tell me this last night?"

"Well, the information that Agent Olson gave you was logical, especially since it was consistent with the findings we had worked out. Or at least, what we'd gotten through. I thought that it was better to go ahead and let you get the suspects out there and focus on the other person…later." Charlie lost steam as he saw the storm growing on his brother's face.

"You thought it was better? Do you know what happened out there?" Don paced around the garage, throwing his hands around as he sought not to commit violence on his brother. "Charlie, David and Megan got shot! If Megan hadn't been wearing her vest, she'd be dead! Colby's got stitches from where he got stabbed! I never would have gone in there if I'd known there was someone else, especially when that person works inside the FBI!"

The younger man sank back in his chair, stunned. Once again his failings with human interaction had come to the fore, and this time his friends had been hurt. The blood left his face and he sat silently and let his brother rant at him.

"Don't you have any idea how dangerous that was? Someone could've been killed!"

"I'm sorry," whispered Charlie. "I didn't know."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I thought that it would be distracting."

"Distracting?" Don was unable to follow his brother's train of thought.

"I thought," and Charlie's voice still didn't rise above a whisper, "That if I told you that there was an insider, you'd arrest the others and work on the insider without letting him know that he was under suspicion."

"You actually put thought into this! I can't believe this!" Charlie cringed as Don's voice raised again. "I know that you're brilliant, but there are things you can't do! You don't know how to run an investigation, and you don't know how to handle people! You work with numbers. You're good with numbers, so stick to your numbers!" With that, Don stormed out of the garage, leaving Charlie sitting silently.

He had no idea how long he sat there before he finally snapped out of his trance. Reaching for his cell phone, he dialed Amita's number. She answered after the third ring.

"Amita?"

"Charlie? What's wrong?"

"You were right."

"I was right? About what? Charlie?"

"I can't…I can't…"

Amita could hear the distress in his voice. "Listen. Take a cab and come over to my place. I know my parents aren't going be dropping in unexpectedly, so come on over." She listened for a minute. "Charlie? Did you hear me?"

"I'll, um, I'll be there."

Amita hung up the phone and stared out the dark window. She wondered what Charlie had meant by saying that she was right. Right about what? All she could hear was the strain in his voice, and she knew that was never good.

It seemed like an eternity before the doorbell rang. Rushing to the door, she peeked out to see him standing at the door. She pulled the door open and looked at him. He was pale, and his eyes were dark with pain.

"What happened?" she asked, trying to get the shell-shocked look off of his face.

"I, um, I screwed up."

"What? What happened?" She led him over to the sofa and sat him down. "Charlie, tell me."

"I screwed up."

"How? What did you do?" Amita was starting to get exasperated with him.

"You were right." Charlie leaned forward, avoiding her gaze as he stared out the window. "I should have told Don last night. I thought I was right, that-that I was helping him. Instead, I got two people shot."

"Shot?" she gasped. "What happened?"

"Evidently the fact that there was an insider was a factor in planning his bust. I-I-I, um, I didn't know that there would be a difference and David and Megan got shot. It's my fault. I thought I knew best. I thought I knew…"

Amita hugged him to her, trying to break through the shock that had completely taken over Charlie. He still stared forward, not giving in to her comfort.

"I could have prevented this! It's my fault!"

She forced his head around, catching his tortured stare. "Charlie! Are they okay?"

"What?"

"Are Megan and David okay?"

"Yeah. I guess. Don didn't say other than I got them shot."

"Charlie, you didn't know. It's not your fault!" Amita chanted to him. "You're a consultant! He didn't give you a chance to finish your work. For all you know, that accountant is the one at fault. His timing was interesting, to say the least."

"No, it's my fault. I should have listened to you. You were absolutely right."

"Charlie! Please, listen to me. It's not your fault." She could see that her arguments weren't breaking through his distress, so she grabbed his face and kissed him. She kissed him as passionately as she could, and didn't let go until she felt him start to react.

"Why did you do that?" he whispered against her face, eyes closed and face still too pale.

"Because I love you and I can't stand to see you hurting like this." She began pressing small kisses all over his face, trying to keep him distracted. "Will you believe me that it's not your fault?"

Holding still, as if movement on his part would drive her away, he exhaled very slowly. "Logically, you present a good argument, but I can't…I can't believe it."

"Charlie? We'll work it out." She pulled back so she could meet his gaze. There was still a tremendous amount of pain in his eyes, but the shadow was gone. "We will work it out. Tomorrow, we'll talk to Don."

Panic crossed his face as he shook his head. "I can't talk to Don."

"We'll talk to him tomorrow. For now," and she pulled him to his feet and led him back to her room, "For tonight at least, you're staying with me."